Ja Morant scores 34 in return from ban, hits game-winner at horn to lift Grizzlies over Pelicans

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:37:43 GMT

Ja Morant scores 34 in return from ban, hits game-winner at horn to lift Grizzlies over Pelicans NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ja Morant ended his regrettable absence from professional basketball with a comeback for the ages. Morant capped a stirring, 34-point season debut with a spinning dribble in the lane to set up a game-winning floater as time expired in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 115-113 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.The Grizzlies, who entered on a five-game skid and were 6-19 during Morant’s 25-game suspension for his social media antics with guns, trailed by 24 in the first half but took a 113-111 lead on Morant’s inside basket with 1:22 to go.The Pelicans tied it and the teams exchanged missed 3-pointers before Morant finished it off at the horn, leaving much of the crowd stunned as he and his teammates celebrated under the basket.“I’ve been putting work in, man,” Morant said. “I ain’t play a game in eight months. Had a lot of time to learn myself. A lot of hard days where I went through it. But you know, basketball is my life — what I love,...

Allen scores 17 as Western Kentucky downs Cal Baptist 73-70

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:37:43 GMT

Allen scores 17 as Western Kentucky downs Cal Baptist 73-70 RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Dontaie Allen’s 17 points helped Western Kentucky defeat Cal Baptist 73-70 on Tuesday night.Allen shot 6 for 11, including 4 for 8 from beyond the arc for the Hilltoppers (10-3). Don McHenry scored 14 points while going 4 of 15 from the floor, including 2 for 3 from 3-point range, and 4 for 4 from the foul line. Babacar Faye had nine points and was 4-of-5 shooting and 1 of 4 from the free-throw line. The Hilltoppers picked up their sixth straight win.Dominique Daniels Jr. finished with 32 points for the Lancers (7-4). Yvan Ouedraogo added 11 points and seven rebounds for Cal Baptist. In addition, Hunter Goodrick finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.Source

Wessels scores 20 as Saint Mary’s (CA) knocks off Middle Tennessee 71-34

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:37:43 GMT

Wessels scores 20 as Saint Mary’s (CA) knocks off Middle Tennessee 71-34 Harry Wessels scored 20 points as Saint Mary’s (CA) beat Middle Tennessee 71-34 on Tuesday night.Wessels shot 10 of 13 from the field for the Gaels (7-5). Alex Ducas scored 13 points while shooting 5 for 8, including 3 for 6 from beyond the arc, and added five rebounds. Mitchell Saxen shot 4 of 10 from the field and 5 for 6 from the foul line to finish with 13 points.Jacob Johnson led the Blue Raiders (5-7) in scoring, finishing with nine points. Jestin Porter added five points and two steals for Middle Tennessee. O’zhell Jackson also had four points and two steals.___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.Source

Kelly, Ustby help No. 24 UNC women beat OU 61-52 at Women’s Jumpman Invitational

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:37:43 GMT

Kelly, Ustby help No. 24 UNC women beat OU 61-52 at Women’s Jumpman Invitational CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Deja Kelly scored 21 points, Alyssa Ustby added 15 points and 13 rebounds and No. 24 North Carolina started slow before beating cold-shooting Oklahoma 61-52 Tuesday night at the Women’s Jumpman Invitational.Kelly was 7-of-14 shooting and Ustby added three blocks. Lexi Donarski added 10 points for North Carolina (8-4). Kelly sandwiched a pair of jumpers around back-to-back layups by Ustby to trim UNC’s deficit to a point with 8 minutes left in the second and Kelly scored the final six first-half points to make it 36-all at intermission. Paris hit a 3-pointer about a minute into the third quarter and Donarski hit another to make it 48-36 about 4 1/2 minutes later and the Sooners trailed by double figures the rest of the way. North Carolina, which went into the game averaging 11.6 turnovers (No. 10 nationally) per game, committed a season-high 21 on Tuesday but limited the Sooners to just 16 second-half points — just four in the third quarter. Payton Verhlust led...

Ja Morant gratified by a ‘perfect ending’ to a ‘perfect day’ as he returns from NBA suspension

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:37:43 GMT

Ja Morant gratified by a ‘perfect ending’ to a ‘perfect day’ as he returns from NBA suspension NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant described his game-winning shot at the end of a 34-point performance against the New Orleans Pelicans as “the perfect ending” to a “perfect day.”His 25-game suspension stemming from his social media antics with handguns ended Tuesday, and a new chapter of his already spectacular basketball career began in historic fashion.Never in NBA history had a player returned from an absence as long as 25 games and scored as many points.Never mind the fact that Morant led Memphis back from a 24-point deficit to a 115-113 victory on the road against a New Orleans Pelicans squad that had won its four previous games and had the likes of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson on the court.Fans in New Orleans didn’t offer Morant the friendliest welcome back, booing him during pre-game introductions and again as he dribbled the ball on the game’s opening possession.“There’s a lot of people that don’t like me; you see where that g...

Olvida la comida a bordo: estas son las mejores y peores aerolíneas cuando el vuelo sale mal

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:37:43 GMT

Olvida la comida a bordo: estas son las mejores y peores aerolíneas cuando el vuelo sale mal Aviones modernos, asientos cómodos y azafatas imperturbablemente agradables.Estos son factores que muchas clasificaciones consideran para determinar las mejores aerolíneas del mundo.Pero pasan por alto un elemento crucial, según la empresa de derechos de los pasajeros AirHelp: cómo las aerolíneas tratan a los clientes cuando surgen problemas.“Creemos que una aerolínea debe ser evaluada no sólo por la forma en que trata a sus pasajeros durante el horario habitual, sino también por la consideración que muestra a los clientes cuando las cosas van mal”, afirma el informe.Para compilar su “AirHelp Score” anual, la organización evaluó 83 aerolíneas en función de la puntualidad, las opiniones de los clientes y la eficiencia con la que manejan las reclamaciones de compensación de los clientes.LAS MEJORES Y PEORES AEROLÍNEAS DE 2023Según datos del 1 de enero al 30 de septiembre de 2023, estas son las aerolíneas que encabezaron la puntuación AirHelp de 2023:Qatar Airwa...

Kim English, like Ed Cooley before him, sends No. 6 Marquette to a loss in Providence

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:37:43 GMT

Kim English, like Ed Cooley before him, sends No. 6 Marquette to a loss in Providence PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Kim English, like Ed Cooley before him, sent Shaka Smart and No. 6 Marquette home from Providence with a loss.Devin Carter had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead the Friars to a 72-57 victory Tuesday night — the third time in five seasons the unranked Friars have beaten a Golden Eagles team in The Associated Press Top 25.“There’s a humility that you have to have coming into a place like this, and an environment like this,” Smart said after falling to 0-3 in Providence since taking over as coach at Marquette. “I don’t care what number’s next to your name, or what you’ve done in the past, or what anyone says you are individually as a player. If you don’t have that, then you’re not going to be as connected as you need to be. And we didn’t have that tonight.”Carter made a career-high five 3-pointers and Ticket Gaines also hit five from beyond the arc to score 18 for Providence (10-2, 1-0 Big East), which hasn’t lost at home to Marquette since 2019. Bryce ...

What to know about abortion policy across the US heading into 2024

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:37:43 GMT

What to know about abortion policy across the US heading into 2024 Abortion is going to remain a major issue in politics, policy and the courts in the U.S. in 2024, even though most of the states that were expected to impose restrictions have already done so.The abortion landscape has been in flux since the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, which touched off a round of abortion policy changes and new litigation about them.There are still looming ballot questions and court decisions. And lawmakers could tweak current abortion laws.Here’s a look at what to know.ABORTION WILL BE ON THE BALLOT IN 2024Since Roe was overturned, abortion-related questions have been on the ballot in seven states – and the abortion rights side has prevailed on all of them.Legislatures in the East Coast blue states of Maryland and New York have already put questions on the November 2024 ballot to amend the state constitutions to include rights regarding reproductive health care.Both states already allow abortion through viability, which is gene...

Firefighters are battling a wildfire on the slopes of a mountain near Cape Town in South Africa

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:37:43 GMT

Firefighters are battling a wildfire on the slopes of a mountain near Cape Town in South Africa CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — More than 300 firefighters were battling a blaze on the slopes of a mountain near Cape Town in South Africa for a second day on Wednesday and residents were evacuated from at least one neighborhood overnight, emergency services said.Five firefighters were injured and two were taken to the hospital, the city’s Emergency Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said.The wildfire on the mountain slopes near the seaside town of Simon’s Town, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Cape Town, had threatened houses in the pre-dawn hours after it started on Tuesday. That threat was narrowly averted, Carelse said. He said only one derelict building on the grounds of a nearby South African navy base had been damaged.Residents were evacuated from the neighborhood most at threat just before 1 a.m. as a precaution, he said. Three helicopters continued to scoop up water from the ocean and drop it on the fire.Firefighters had worked to put out the fire th...

Airbnb admits misleading Australian customers by charging in US dollars instead of local currency

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:37:43 GMT

Airbnb admits misleading Australian customers by charging in US dollars instead of local currency CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian court on Wednesday ordered Airbnb to pay a 15 million Australian dollar ($10 million) fine, and the accommodation rental company could pay as much again in compensating customers who had been unaware they were being charged in U.S. rather than Australian dollars.Airbnb admitted making false or misleading representations to Australian users between January 2018 and August 2021 that prices shown on its platform for Australian accommodations were in Australian dollars, which are worth less than the greenback. For about 63,000 customers, the prices were in U.S. dollars.Federal Court Justice Brendan McElwaine ordered Airbnb to pay a AU$15 million fine within 30 days for breaching Australian consumer law, plus AU$400,000 in prosecution costs.Airbnb had earlier provided the court with an undertaking that it would pay as much as AU$15 million in compensation to eligible customers.Airbnb amended its platform on Aug. 31, 2021, so that prices in U.S. do...